Microphones are often attached to headsets. Such headset microphones are used daily in many industries to transmit spoken audio information. A few examples include microphones used by musicians, airplane pilots and telephone operators and receptionists. Headset microphones are often preferred over stationary microphones because use of a headset allows for greater degree of movement. Whereas a stationary microphone--for instance a microphone at a podium--mandates that the speaker remain in close proximity to the microphone, a headset microphone allows the speaker to move about with relative freedom.
With the burgeoning importance of computer audio applications such as speech recognition and dictation, Internet telephones, computer telephony and video conferencing, the use of headsets with attached microphones to input audio information into computers has become commonplace. For instance, many computer users create electronic documents through the use of speech recognition software. With these applications, the user creates an electronic document by dictating directly into the computer through a microphone. Similarly, Internet telephones allow real-time audio communications to occur simultaneously between users over the Internet and other computer networks. Many such applications require near-field microphones in which the microphone element is positioned very close to the user's mouth to improve cancellation of background noises. Headsets are the conventional devices for providing such positioning.
Various microphone-input devices, including headsets, have been developed for use in conjunction with computer technologies. Traditional headsets with one or two earphones may be used in conjunction with a microphone. However, earphones or ear pads that directly contact the user's ears, for instance, either by partially or completely covering the auricles, have a tendency to be uncomfortable. This is especially true when the headset is worn for an extended period of time, as is often required when the headset is used in connection with a computer. Because the earphones rest on the soft tissue of the auricle, there also may be pressure points that lead to further discomfort. Earphones that include a speaker are often relatively heavy since each speaker requires a driver. As a result, even a monaural headset that has only one earphone may be uncomfortable when used for an extended period, such as when dictating documents into a computer.
Some kinds of headsets with microphones utilize ear bands or clips of various designs in place of the headbands to provide support for the microphone. For example, a headset ear piece such as that shown in U.S. Design Patent Des.363,487 may be used in connection with a microphone connected to the ear piece. The ear piece supports the microphone, which is adjustable so it may be moved into proximity with the user's mouth. However, ear clips, which are typically designed for placement between the auricle and the temporal bone in the manner of an ear piece on a pair of eyeglasses, may become uncomfortable when worn for extended periods of time. And even though the microphone and the associated boom may be relatively lightweight, all of the weight of the headset and microphone is supported by the user's ear.
Another example of a headset is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,751. The "ergonomic" headset shown in this patent is designed to be worn with the framework of the headset behind the user's head, and supported in part by the nape of the user's neck. The headset shown in this patent includes ear supported members that rest above and behind the user's ear and conform to the cleft between the auricle and the temporal bone. These ear supported members carry various attachments such as a microphone or speakers. However, since the ear supported members make direct contact with the area at the cleft between the user's ear and the temporal bone, in the same way the ear pieces of a set of eyeglasses contact the ears, the headset may have a tendency to become uncomfortable.
An alternative to the use of headsets in connection with inputting audio information into computers is to use desktop microphones, or microphones that are mounted to, for instance, a computer monitor. When such desktop input devices are used, traditional loudspeakers adapted for use with computers may be used to play back the audio output. The use of a desktop microphone is advantageous because the user's ears are not obstructed and the user may stay in touch with his or her surroundings and may hear, for example, the telephone or a co-worker who stops by. However, like a microphone at a podium, a desktop microphone requires that the user speak directly into the microphone, and in most cases in close proximity to it. This limits the user's range of movement and may lead to fatigue when the microphone is used for any length of time. In other words, the user must dictate directly into a stationary microphone and therefore does not have the option of moving about while using the microphone.
Accordingly, the comfort, functionality and design of microphones have become critical, particularly for microphones used for computer audio applications.
Some computer users have alleviated the problems associated with the headset microphones described above by wearing the headset around the neck, making appropriate adjustments to the orientation of the microphone so that it rests in proximity to the user's mouth. This manner of wearing a headset microphone has also been applied to microphones used in other settings, such as by auctioneers who often use microphones with wireless systems. However, while shifting a headset from the traditional over-the-head position to an around-the-neck position may decrease fatigue to the user's ears, traditional headsets are neither engineered nor designed for wearing around the neck. As a result, ear phones, ear pads and the like do not find a comfortable resting place on the user's neck. Specifically, traditional round or rectangular ear pads that are designed primarily for wearing on the ears are either too large or inadequately shaped to be worn comfortably on the neck, leading to discomfort. In addition, the radius of curvature of a headband designed for wearing over the head may be significantly different from the radius of curvature of a neck. Further, the length of a boom supporting a microphone from a headset to be worn over the head does not correctly position the microphone when the headset is worn around the neck. For all of these reasons, a need exists for a comfortable microphone that may be worn around the user's neck.
The present invention provides a collar band with an attached microphone that is especially designed for use with computer audio applications. The collar microphone eliminates earphones and ear pads, replacing them with neck pads that are specifically designed for wearing around the user's ear. The collar band has a radius of curvature that may be adjusted to comfortably fit any neck size. The collar microphone of the present invention is well suited to be worn for extended periods of time. By eliminating speakers, the user's ears are left unobstructed, thereby leaving the user with "free ears" to keep in touch with what is going on in the user's surroundings. The collar band supports the entire weight of the microphone, which is adjustably mounted to the collar band such that it may be positioned in proximity to the user's mouth, on either side of the user's head.